World Holidays

A Reading AZ Level L Leveled Reader

Word Count: 460

LEVELED READER L

World
Holidays

Adapted by Cecilia Maeson

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World
Holidays

Photo Credits:
Cover, back cover, pages 4 (bottom left), 5, 7 (bottom), 11, 13 (bottom):
ArtToday; title page, pages 4 (top), 10 (top), 13 (top and right): Artville;
pages 6, 8, 12: Royalty-Free/CORBIS; page 9: A. Ramsey/PhotoEdit

Adapted from Holidays Around the World, a Level T leveled reader written by
Peter C. Montin for ProQuest LearningPage.
Pronunciation Guide
Hanukkah (HAH-nuh-kuh)
menorah (mah-NOR-ah)
dreidel (DRAY-dehl)
Ramadan (rahmeh-DAHN)
Christmas (KRIS-mess)
Kwanzaa (KWAN-zah)
mkeka (m-KAY-kah)
kinara (kee-NAH-rah)
Holi (ho-LEE)

Adapted by Cecilia Maeson

World Holidays
Level L Leveled Reader
2005 ProQuest LearningPage, Inc.
Adapted by Cecilia Maeson
All rights reserved.

www.readinga-z.com

www.readinga-z.com

Correlation
LEVEL L
Fountas & Pinnell
Reading Recovery
DRA

K
18
20

Introduction
Table of Contents

People all over the world celebrate

holidays that are full of traditions.
Traditions are the special ways
people do something. People
celebrate holidays by preparing and
eating food, playing games, singing
songs, and telling stories.

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Chinese New Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Christmas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Hanukkah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Holi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Kwanzaa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
New Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Ramadan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

1Ornaments decorate a tree during Christmas 2Gift envelopes

used during Chinese New Year 3Painting the ground bright
colors during Holi
4

Chinese New Year

Date: late
January or
early February

Many people celebrate

Chinese New Year.
Where Started:
China
People celebrate the
arrival of spring and wish for good
luck. They put good
luck sayings in
their homes
and watch a
colorful Lion
Dance. It uses
loud noises to
chase away
bad luck.
People also
give gifts
to others.
A lucky lion
made of cloth
dances down
the street.

A family spends time together

on Christmas Day.

Date:
December 25
or January 6

Christmas

Where Started:
Europe

Christmas can be celebrated at

different times, but many people
celebrate on December 25th.
Christmas usually lasts only a day,
but the celebration may last longer.
Many people place a tree in their
homes. They decorate the tree with
colorful lights. People sing songs
and give gifts to family and friends.
They also share toys, clothes, and
food with others who need them.
6

Hanukkah
Other people celebrate
Hanukkah. Hanukkah
lasts eight nights.
People light a
candle each
night in a
holder called
a menorah.

Holi

Date: Middle
or late
December

Date: March
Where Started:

Some people celebrate India

Holi. During Holi,
people celebrate the end of winter
and the arrival of spring. People
sing and dance. They decorate with
lots of colors and wear colorful
clothes. They even spray family and
friends with colorful powders and
water. It is a time of joy and fun.

Where Started:
Middle East

During
Hanukkah, people
sing songs and eat
with family and friends.
They get small gifts
and money to share
with others. People also
play a game with a top
called a dreidel.

Family members decorate each other during Holi.

During Kwanzaa, people celebrate

by eating together and giving gifts.
A mkeka, or mat, with vegetables
is put in the home. Special items
are placed on this mat. People
tell traditional stories with family
and friends.

One candle in the kinara is lit for each

night of Kwanzaa.

Kwanzaa

Date:
December 26
to January 1
Where Started:
North America

Other people celebrate Kwanzaa. It

is an important time of the year for
friends and family. Kwanzaa lasts for
seven days. Each night, people light
candles in a holder called a kinara.
There are seven candles in the kinara,
one for each night of Kwanzaa.
9

The Kwanzaa table includes vegetables placed on an mkeka,

or mat.

10

Fireworks are part of many

New Years celebrations.

Date: January 1
or beginning
of spring
Where Started:
Middle East

A family eating together at the end

of Ramadan.

New Year
People all over the world celebrate
the New Year. People use different
calendars to tell when a new year
starts. They have many traditions.
Many people celebrate with
fireworks and songs. They may toss
colorful pieces of paper in the air.
People also might wish each other
good luck for the new year.
11

Ramadan

Date: Changes
each year by the
Western calendar
Where Started:
Middle East

Other people celebrate Ramadan. It

lasts one month. During Ramadan,
many people eat only before the
sun comes up, and after it goes
down. People show their thanks for
the things they have. It is a time to
think about other people and do
nice things for them.
12

A Celebration Timetable
Holidays occur all year long.
Here are some holidays and when
they are celebrated.
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is based on the Chinese
calendar.
It is celebrated in late January or early
February. It lasts for 15 days.
Christmas

Conclusion

Christmas is celebrated on December 25th

or January 6th each year.

Holidays are often a special

time for people. Many
holidays are celebrated all
over the world. People
celebrate the holidays
in some ways that
are different, and
some ways that are
the same.

It lasts one day. However, people often

celebrate this holiday over many days.
Hanukkah
Hanukkah is based
on the Jewish
calendar.
It begins in middle
or late December
and lasts eight nights.

13

14

Do You Know?
Many people around
the world follow the
Gregorian calendar, often
referred to as the Western
calendar. This calendar
measures approximately
365 days in each year.

Holi

Glossary

Holi lasts 15 days and is celebrated each

dreidel

March on the day after the full moon.

a top used in a Hanukkah

game (p. 7)

Kwanzaa

kinara

Kwanzaa begins on December 26th and

a candleholder used during

Kwanzaa (p. 9)

ends on January 1st. It lasts seven days.

menorah
New Year

a candleholder used during

Hanukkah (p. 7)

Many people celebrate the coming of the new

year on the night before New Years Day.

mkeka

a mat used to place vegetables

on during Kwanzaa (p. 10)

New Years Day is January 1st or the

traditions

beginning of spring.

the ways people do something

(p. 4)

Ramadan
Ramadan is based on the Muslim calendar.

Index

The calendar is 354 days long.

Celebrating Ramadan lasts about 29 or

Math Minute
How many days is the Muslim calendar
shorter than the Western calendar?
How many days do Chinese New Year
and Kwanzaa last altogether?

Hanukkah, 5, 9

Chinese New Year,

Holi, 8, 13

5, 7

7= 3 + 5 + 2 = 10 4 + 10 2 = 14 x 2 3 = 25 5 5

+ 2 = 17 + 3 x 2 20 2

+ 2 =17 + 3 x 2 20 2

30 days.

celebrate, 411, 1315

15

holidays, 4, 15

Christmas, 5, 8

Kwanzaa, 9, 10, 14

colorful, 5, 6, 8, 11

light(-s), 4, 6, 7, 10

family, 68, 10, 12

New Year, 6, 13

food, 4, 6, 10

Ramadan, 12, 14

friends, 6, 7, 8, 10

songs, 4, 6, 7, 11

gifts, 57, 10

tradition(-s)(-al), 4, 12

16

7= 3 + 5 + 2 = 10 4 + 10 2 = 14 x 2 3 = 25 5 5